KLRU presents a month of architecture-themed programming made possible by AIA Austin and the Austin Foundation for Architecture. These programs celebrate the art and artistry of architecture through ancient times to today. Here’s what’s coming up:

2/5Super SkyscrapersOne World Trade Center at 9 pm
One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the western hemisphere and a famous modern landmark, is engineered to be the safest and strongest skyscraper ever built. This episode follows the final year of exterior construction, culminating with the milestone of reaching the symbolic height of 1,776 feet. For head of construction Steve Plate, as well as scientists, engineers, ironworkers and curtain wall installers, this is a construction job suffused with the history of the site and a sense of duty to rebuild from the ashes of Ground Zero.

2/12 NOVA Great Cathedral Mystery at 8 pm
The Duomo in Florence is a towering masterpiece of Renaissance ingenuity and an enduring source of mystery. A team of U.S. master bricklayers help build a unique experimental “mini-Duomo” using period tools and techniques. Will it stay intact during the final precarious stages of closing over the top of the dome?

2/12 Super SkyscrapersBuilding The Future at 9 pm
Commonly known as “the cheese grater,” the Leadenhall Building is the pinnacle of London’s avant-garde architecture. Designed as a tapered tower with a steel exoskeleton, it’s the tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the most innovative. The teams behind the Leadenhall project had to radically rethink every aspect of the traditional building model. This program follows the monumental challenges that come with erecting this super skyscraper: it will be constructed off-site, delivered to location, and stacked and bolted together like a giant Lego set.

2/18 American ExperienceGrand Coulee Dam at 7 pm
Grand Coulee was more than a dam; it was a proclamation. In the wake of the Great Depression, America turned from private enterprise to public works – not simply to provide jobs, but to restore faith. The ultimate expression of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, Grand Coulee played a central role in transforming the Northwest.

2/18 American ExperienceRise And Fall Of Penn Station at 8 pm
In 1910, the Pennsylvania Railroad accomplished the enormous engineering feat of building tunnels under New York City’s Hudson and East Rivers, knitting together the entire eastern half of the United States. The tunnels terminated in what was one of the greatest architectural achievements of its time, Pennsylvania Station.

2/19 NOVA Mystery of Easter Island at 8 pm
A team of scientists and volunteers test a theory on how the ancient stone statues were moved, using a 15-ton replica.

2/19Super SkyscrapersThe Vertical City at 9 pm
Shanghai Tower isn’t just a skyscraper — it’s a vertical city, a collection of businesses, services and hotels all in one place, fitting a population the size of Monaco into a footprint the size of a football field. Within its walls, residents can literally work, rest, play and relax in public parks, looking up through 12 stories of clear space; not just one, however, but eight of them, stacked on top of each other, all the way to the 120th floor. When complete, the structure will dominate Shanghai’s skyline, towering over its neighbors as a testament to China’s economic success and the ambitions of the city’s wealthy elite.

02/24 10 Buildings That Changed America at 10 pm
This program tells the stories of 10 American architectural marvels, including a state capitol building designed by Thomas Jefferson, the original indoor shopping mall, the first airport of the Jet Age and a futuristic concert hall. You may not be familiar with all of these buildings, but they probably shaped the way you live, work, shop and play. Host Geoffrey Baer takes a journey across America and inside these 10 groundbreaking works of art and engineering.

2/26Super SkyscrapersThe Billionaire Building at 9 pm
Upon completion, One57, on Manhattan’s 57th Street, will rise more than 1,000 feet, making it the tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere and boasting spectacular views of Central Park. “One57″ follows the teams tasked with creating New York’s most luxurious residential skyscraper and their ambition to redefine luxury living the big city. Condominiums at One57 showcase state-of-the- art interiors: double-height ceilings, full-floor apartments, bathrooms clad in the finest Italian marble and the finest material finishes.